Avian Flu

All poultry in the UK are currently having to be kept inside (DEFRA housing order) to protect them against Avian Flu this winter.  Sadly this is becoming an annual event, however this winter has been particularly bad with a lot more outbreaks and cases carrying on into the spring.  Could this be due to the ridiculously mild winter we have had, or Russian chemical warfare? Either way the lock down period has been extended beyond the DEFRA 16 weeks limit for calling eggs ‘Free Range’. Fortunately, our eggs remain ‘organic’ and we are allowed to continue to market them as such.

Being organic our hens are lucky to have a lot more space in their houses and be in much smaller flocks, making indoor life more pleasant.

.                                  Our hens                  Organic standard    Free Range

Flock size                  500                            3000                          6000+

Stocking density     6 birds/m2               6 birds/m2               9 birds/m2 (RSPA)

Scratch area             50%                            33%                            No minimum

Perches                      30cm/bird                18cm/bird                None

Mobile                       Yes definitely           Not always                Never

De-beaking              Never                         Never                         Routinely

We try our very best to make their indoors life as interesting as possible by adding:

  • extra hay nets,
  • grade out veg,
  • tractor tyre dust baths,
  • swings,
  • hay bales
  • mineral rich peck blocks etc.,

However, none of this is really a substitute for our hens spending their time outside in the fields, there are serious and costly repercussions t locking up hens.  The downsides are that:

  • We spend a lot of time and effort encouraging our hens to range freely from just 8 weeks (organic standard says 12 weeks) old so they genuinely do spend a lot of their time outside (compared to other hens) so being shut in is particularly unfair and hard on them.
  • They eat a lot more food when shut in, what they would have got from ranging around outside, and partly possibly due to boredom, and the feed costs a king’s ransom at the moment.
  • They lay a few less eggs inevitably.
  • They are not out picking off the bugs that climb our apple trees.
  • The farm seems lifeless and ‘pointless’ without them out clucking about.

But ultimately the hens are shut in for their own safety and they are happy and healthy and still producing great tasting organic eggs! If you would like any more information, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for your continued support during these difficult times!